Twenty years ago, new home builders saw an opportunity to add value to a property by installing in-wall and in-ceiling speakers, routing miles of speaker wires, and installing volume dials in every room. Before the days of Sonos and LCD TVs, it was a novelty to be able to listen to music everywhere, and getting a big screen meant a dedicated room with a projector. Today, if you’re buying a home under 30 years old, there’s a good chance the house will come with just such a system or room. It may seem pretty cool at first, but it won’t take long before you realize it’s disappointingly outdated — certainly nothing like the connected smart homes you read about online.

Such was the case with our gorgeous new test bed for smart home technology and smart appliances out in the country. The new home had speakers in every room, an aging home theater, and two closets loaded with what was high-end gear in its day. Unfortunately, all of the infrastructure was horribly outdated, and the gear in the closets was either showing its age, or entirely defective.

To take the home from FM radio and CDs toSpotifyandApple TVs would require much more than replacing a few black boxes, so Digital Trends partnered with the home automation and installation experts atControl 4andTechnology Design Associates. The result of the collaboration was a home transformation that would arm the house with 21st century tech, and put Amazon’s digital assistant,Alexa, at the helm.

This four-part video series chronicles that process, which took about four months from inception to completion. You’ll see a monster-sized 200-disc CD changer make room for slim and sexyControl 4 modulesandSonoscomponents, a dinosaur of a 720p projector go extinct, making way for a gorgeous Sony 4K replacement, and an ultra high-end (but dated) McIntosh receiver replaced by a state-of-the-art Audio Control unit. Standard light switches are replaced by smart switches, and old analog push buttons are supplanted by the latest touchscreen control pads. A house that had barely any network infrastructure is gutted and outfitted with the latest high-speed network wizardry, powered byPakEdge.

When we’re done, you’ll see a state-of-the-art connected smart home, run by Control 4 and Alexa voice commands so intuitive anyone can walk in and make the TVs and sound system work. The results are both a comfortable, functional home, and a sandbox for testing and reviewing smart home devices and appliances.

In this first video, we show you what the home looked like before we began, complete with aging electronics and control systems. Watch as we begin to gut the house of its old wares, and lay the groundwork for a technological transformati

Technology Design Associates – 541-948-5095

Home Theater Installation

Be the center of attention on football Sundays and gather the family together for some great family entertainment. We can do it all from Ultra HD to setting up your video game center. AND, it’s all integrated with the rest of your home!

Automated Lighting

Your kids work hard all day to turn on every light in the house. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a smart lighting control in the home? Now you can turn them all off in one touch, right from your bedside table—or even your smart phone.

Automated Shading

Our partnership with automated shade partners goes beyond industry standards to reach new heights in innovation. Technology Design Associates’s shading systems are designed with both form and function in mind. If there is a new and more effective way of doing things we are going to get our creative minds to work to make it happen.

Amazon Alexa Integration

We’ve all been there—walking through the door into a dark house, arms full. Wouldn’t it be nice to tell your house to offer a helping hand? Now you can. A simple voice command—such as “Alexa, turn on Welcome”—lights up the hallway and kitchen, fires up your favorite Pandora station, while the door locks itself behind you.

Smart Home Energy Mgmt

Part of having a smart home is energy management which can lead to saving money. All of our techs are Control4 and Lutron certified. That means we can provide the benefit of using both those products in our design to make your home as energy efficient as possible!

Outdoor Entertainment Areas

Outdoor Entertainment Areas are an easy option to include in your new home build or remodel.It’s the perfect way to spend an evening, watching the sunset over the mountains or just enjoying the breeze as it comes up the gorge!

Cyber Security For Your Home

Technology Design Associates has partnered with FIREFX to deliver a full line of cyber security protection for your home or commercial space. Created by veterans and using “Military Grade” firewalls, FIREFX is designed with the homeowner or commercial office space owner in mind.

Client Care Program

We know that your home automation system is an important investment and an important part of your life and how you live it.Because of that, we’ve put together a comprehensive Client Care Program that will help you maintain your investment and make sure that your system stays in tip top shape and is online and operational when you need it. .

Commercial Project?

Residential Project

Are you thinking about including a component of smart home automation, home theater, smart home energy management in your upcoming building or remodeling project. Let’s plug in to the design process from the get go!

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